Hello, and welcome back! We're staying indoors again this week, to avoid the wretched heat and humidity that is still plaguing us here in the northeast. I'm about halfway through my August stack already, and some of the fall releases are beginning to trickle in now.

A Taste of Crimson (Love Spell) by Marjorie M. Liu leads things off this time, with Keeli trying to keep her werewolf clan safe, and vampire Michael mixing things up in a way she never expected. This is the second book in the 'Crimson City' series, and for fans of the genre, I'm sure it'll be a hit. However, since I'm neither a vampire nor a werewolf fan as a rule, this one isn't for me. Plenty of action, if you're so inclined, and a wide variety of paranormal critters.

Beyond Control (Berkley) by Rebecca York moves away from her werewolves to a different sort of paranormal story, with writer Jordan Walker and senatorial aid Lindsay Fleming suddenly able to connect to each other mentally. Unfortunately, they're not the only ones with this ability, and someone else has much more control over their skill. I had a difficult time buying into this one as neither of these two possessed any telepathic ability previously, and once they acquired the skill, they didn't disbelieve at all. Just a little beyond me, I'm afraid. I'm giving this one only two of Cupid's five arrows.

The Last Bride (Berkley) by Sandra Landry is a time travel, with Claire Peltier determined to meet the man of her dreams and traveling through time to do it. Aiden Delacroix is haunted by his late wife, so much so that he cannot find a new wife to do his duty and continue his family line. Mostly set in France, as Ms. Landry has done before, this one will also test your ability to suspend disbelief and buy into it at times, though not as much as the previous book. For me, it's not a keeper, and made me want to pick up one of my keeper shelf time travels instead. It's earned two and a half arrows.

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